One question asked was what about brand new wanna be hookers who don't know how. At Rugs by the Sea (hosted by Norma Batastini and Linda Woodbury), they offer personalized one on one instruction the first day to anyone who doesn't know how to hook. Then after lunch that person joins the class they enrolled in. There are other camps which do the same I'm sure.
Most rug camps limit enrollment to 12 students per teacher. I have seen the occassional 15 in a class. That sounds like a lot but the teachers usually know the returning students who don't need handholding so understands the limits to which she/he can accept students.
Then there are smaller camps, like Barb Carroll hosts. In her classroom there are only 4 or 5 students she will teach at a time. This makes for a delightfully friendly atmosphere and lots can get accomplished. Well that is unless you are like me when talking to someone you look at them and aren't pulling loops. Somehow I've lost the ability to multi-task I guess, lol.
Above is a picture of Barb and me back in 2012. Will definitely have someone take a picture of us together this May for SURE.
Each teacher has their own personal teaching style they find most successful. I LOVE the way Barb teaches as there is no darn way you can forget what wool she has suggested goes where. She color plans with one student at a time and quoting Barb..."she builds a rug" by working on certain motifs/elements at a time then introduces the next wool.
Barb will cut a snippet of your wool and staple it to a piece of paper with a colored sharpie marking where that color goes on your rug. If you tap the picture you will some blue ink on my pattern, she is picking wool which will be hooked in that spot. On the piece of paper is a color relating to the wool stapled. Easy peasy.
First day at a class everyone wants to start first but all 12 can't be first. Kris Miller (Spruce Ridge Studios) has pieces of paper in a box 1-12 and each person picks a number which will reveal the order in which students will be chosen. There have been some people who traded their #1 to go later if they weren't ready.
Above is a photo of Kris at the top left and her class. We sure do look like happy hookers, don't we?
Since you don't know who will be first or last for color planning it is always best to take a project to work on until the teacher gets to you. I usually take an in-progress rug to work on; my gal pal Deb has taken a rug to bind...or you could take a portable knitting project. You will feel productive and won't get bored.
Okay, guess I'll save more for a later post since I seem to ramble on. Still want to talk about what students and teachers expect, camp list of supplies, wool, pattern size and anything else you might want me to chat about.
Happy Saturday.
Saundra
